Newhalen, August 12, 2011

Flying into Newhalen, you can see Lake Ilamna in the distance.

 This is my first day in the village.

A view of part of the village of Newhalen from the air.

The steps lead up to my apartment and the school is to the left.

 The steps have diamond steel grates, which is a good idea.

Here is all the stuff I mailed to myself.

I unpacked all of these in one day!

 I was exhausted after all that work!

My kitchen

The bedroom

The bedroom is also my living room.

My closet

The bathroom

By the end of the day I was so exhausted, and I realized I didn't have any shower hooks for the shower curtain.  The bathtub was really grungy and I was too tired to scrub it, so I came up with a perfect plan (or so I thought).  I hung the shower curtain over the rod and put a bucket in the tub to stand in. All was well until I stepped into the bucket and it was wobbly.  I grabbed the shower curtain for balance, and it came down with the water spraying everywhere! Good thing the last tenant left some towels there!

Also the bathroom

My first meal in my new apartment: beef, brown rice, and salad.

Going to King Salmon August 7th to August 8th

The King Salmon River...
Boats are in for the fall and winter at Naknek.
Of course, the fishermen are against the Pebble Mine...

The new people had an orientation for a few days. We had dinner the last night in Naknek, Alaska, which is a fishing village. The D & D Restaurant is famous for their French dip sandwiches...delicious! View from behind the old base where we stayed, SAVEC.

We arrived in King Salmon, where the airport is an old Air Force base from the days of the Cold War.

Leaving Anchorage, my only comment was, "I never spent so much money in such a short time in my life!"

Anchorage, Alaska, August 5 to 7, 2011

We spent a few days shopping in Anchorage. It is brisk here, like late September...quite a change from the unusually hot 90 degree weather we had back in Pittsburgh! I had to get a new driver's license in downtown Anchorage, and as I was passing a bronze plaque I realized I am OLDER than the state of Alaska :(

Welcome sign for soldiers at the airport...the Airborne insignia reminded me of you, RJ!

I really like this moose sculpture!

They actually sell plastic pans to pan for gold in the stores here...made in Taiwan, of course.

The first dusting of snow on the mountains...a sure sign that summer is almost over.

The school district rented a house for us instead of hotel rooms, and this was my room on the left.

The stuff in the van is NOT all mine, but this is what it is like to shop when you work in the bush and need supplies for at least 5 months!

We ate dinner at the Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria.

Seattle to Anchorage

After a relaxing week in Seattle, eating at the Market and having wonderful conversations with the cousins, I flew to Anchorage, Alaska. Here are some pics of the flight. Top right are two pics of the coast of Anchorage. The next four are east of Anchorage, and the mountaintops you see are actually just the peaks of the mountains above a sea of clouds somewhere in Canada.

Seattle

August 1st I flew to Seattle on a late night plane. Landed in Dallas-Ft. Worth and it was 105'. You could see orange haze coming up between the clouds as we landed. I spent a few days with my cousin Eileen and her family on Capitol Hill. We went to see her son, Chris, play in a band at a house with a view. I took a picture of the Needle (left). Next is Eileen's family: Jim, Chris, Eileen, and Brian. Finally, Eileen's beautiful house on Broadway East. Jim and Eileen were the perfect hosts!

It's Friday, but Monday's Comin'

I am so sick and tired of packing. At this point, as long as the Ramen noodles arrive, I will not starve, and I am bringing a week's worth of clothes in my carry on.

I feel like I spent my whole summer getting ready for this trip, and now I am ready to just GO!

I still have to resign my old position. I finished all my physical appointments. Still have to send Alaska certificate paperwork in and finish up financial estate issues.

Monday evening I will be on a plane to Seattle to spend a few days with my cousin, Eileen, and her family. Then on the 5th of August I will be headed for Anchorage. I did meet with Derek Luke, and I will have his apartment when I get up there. We agreed to share costs on produce boxes, and I agreed to teach him how to cook. That reminds me...pack the cook book!

Procrastination

Today I sent two more bins to Alaska. They told us we could start mailing them on July 1st, but my first one went out on the 11th. Yes, I am a procrastinator. The more bins I send, the lower my anxiety. I sent two more bins today. The important thing is to drill a hole on each side of the lid and then put strapping through to lock it.

Then, just to be sure, I put duck tape all the way around the lid and the bottom. I never knew the post office would mail these things!